Fifth Generation, or 5G, networks are supposed to be coming to South Africa this year.

It’s already live in parts of Johannesburg and Tshwane.

This means that we can expect speeds between 5Gbps to 8Gbps, and up to 20Gbps in theory – compared to 4G LTE, which has a maximum throughput of 1Gbps.

I’m sure our tech-savvy readers just let out a little ‘whoop!’ of happiness in response to the above information, but the rest of us need a little help wrapping our heads around what all of that means.

The BBC is here to help:

[5G is]  the next generation of mobile internet connection and offers much faster data download and upload speeds.

Through greater use of the radio spectrum it will allow far more devices to access the mobile internet at the same time.

So, faster internet and mobile speeds? Whoop!

Before we go deeper into why it’s such a big deal, here’s 5G explained in 45 seconds:

Or, if you’re after a more in-depth video explanation, take five minutes:

5G is going to change the way that we interact with our various devices. Basically, whatever you can currently do on your smartphone, tablet, PC or laptop, you’ll be able to do much, much faster.

Here’s how it works:

The speed you get will depend on which spectrum band the operator runs the 5G technology on and how much your carrier has invested in new masts and transmitters.

So we may see clusters of smaller phone masts closer to the ground transmitting so-called “millimetre waves” between much higher numbers of transmitters and receivers. This will enable higher density of usage. But it’s expensive and companies could face challenges deploying lots of new masts.

5G has the potential to elevate tech that’s already in development like smart glasses, augmented reality and virtual reality, through lightning-fast internet connections that allow for much higher video quality.

Similarly, many think 5G will be crucial for autonomous vehicles to communicate with each other and read live map and traffic data.

Mobile gamers should notice less delay – or latency – when pressing a button on a controller and seeing the effect on screen.

Mobile videos should be near instantaneous and glitch-free. Video calls should become clearer and less jerky. Wearable fitness devices could monitor your health in real time, alerting doctors as soon as any emergency arises.

It’s hard to imagine a world where all of this is an everyday reality, especially because, at the moment, we’re still waiting for them to fix that internet cable that’s slowing things down in South Africa.

Repairs are underway, at least.

[source:bbc]